Condiment dispenser



Jan. 18, 1966 M. JUNGMANN CONDIMENT DISPENSER Filed 001;. 5l 1964 mvg-Nw@ MANFRED JUNGMANN )having just such a plurality of compartments.

United States Patent O 3,229,856 CONDIMENT DISPENSER Manfred Jungmann, Willow River, British Columbia, Canada Filed Oct. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 401,472 7 Claims. (Cl. Z22-142.4)

This invention relates to condiment holders and in particular to a condiment dispenser having a plurality of condiment chambers, each of which is adapted to receive and hold a separate type of condiment and from which any one of the condiments contained therein may be dispensed therefrom separately.

Condiment holders have heretobefore been constructed However, such holders have not in the past been entirely successful as difficulties have been experienced in maintaining one compartment closed while dispensing a condiment from another compartment, and in view of the fact that ,in the majority of such holders the working components thereof are not separate from the condiment and, therefore, tend to jam.

The presentl invention overcomes the defects and difculties of the latter-mentioned holders by providing a valve arrangement which may only be operable to permit dispensing of a condiment from a chamber by shaking the whole holder and in which the working components of the valve are in the main separated from the condiment -in the chamber to avoid jamming.

Vof the hammer and being adapted when struck by the Ylatter to move the valve, against the action of the resilient means to its open position, and means to restrain the hammer from reciprocal movement when the dispenser is held in other than an inverted position.

In the drawings which illustrate the invention,

FIGURE 1 is a central longitudinal section of a holder showing one of the chambers in an inverted position, showing the valve in a closed position,y

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of FIGURE l, and

FIGURE V3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the apparatus as shown in FIGURE 1, showing the valve in an open position.

Referring to the drawings, the holder indicated generally by the numeral 10, comprises a base member 11 to which a plurality of condiment containers 12, 13 and 14 are secured. The base member 11 is triangularly shaped in transverse cross section and has three planar sides 15, 16 and 17, in each of which threaded recesses, 15a, 16a and 17a, respectively are formed. The condiment containers 12, 13 and 14 are each formed as conically shaped shells Shaving exteriorly threaded base portions 20, 21 and 22, respectively, adapted to mate with the interiorly threaded recesses whereby each container may be secured to the base member 11, and each of said containers ha-s i-ts tip portion removed to form circular dispensing openings 25, 26 and 27 therein, through which, condiment may escape from a container held in an inverted position.

Each of the condiment containers is provided with a valve unit and, as each of the containers and their valve units are exactly alike, reference only will be made here- "ice inafter to condiment containers 12 and its associated valve unit, the latter being indicated by the numeral 30.

The valve unit 30 comprises an elongated cylindrical tube 32 extending centrally through the conduit container 12 having its walls 33 spaced from .the walls of the container to form an annular chamber 34 therebetween in which the condiment or the like is to be held.

The inner end 35 of the tube is externally threaded to receive a thin internally threaded disc 36, the latter being formed of a ferrous or paramagnetic material, and provided with a threaded prong 37 by means of which it may be secured to the base member 11 substantially centrally of the recess 15a formed therein. The tube 32 extends towards the opening 25 and has its other or outer end 41 tapered to spacedly match the tapered walls of the condiment container 12 and is supported centrally thereof by means of a spacing collar 42 secured near said end 41, said spacing collar being formed of a stiifly resilient material, such as spring steel, and having resilient spokes 43 radiating therefrom and adapted to engage the walls of the container so as to maintain the tube centrally located therein.

The tapered end 41 of the tube is provided with an elongated internal collar 45 having an elongated bore 46 formed centrally therethrough, said bore being aligned with the opening 25, said bore being adapted to slidably receive an elongated thin shaft 47, the latter extending at one end 48 into the tube 32 and at its other or outer end 49 through the opening 25. The inner end 48 of the shaft is provided with a button 50 and is threaded at its outer end to receive a threaded socket 52 formed in the base 54 of a conically .shaped stopper 55. The base 54 of the latter is of sutiicient diameter to cover the opening 25 being normally held against the open end of the container 12 by means. of the action of a compression spring 56 located over the shaft 47 between the button 50 and the stopper 55. The shaft 47 is sufliciently long that its button end 48 may be depressed against the action of the spring 56 to move the stopper from its closed position outwardly from the open end of the container 12 to permit the condiment to escape therefrom when it is held in an inverted position. The position of the button and stopper in this last-mentioned or open position is illustrated in FIGURE 3 of the drawings, whereas their position inthe stopper closed position is illustrated in FIGURE l of the drawings.

The operation of the stopper from its closed to its open position is accomplished by means of the operation of a hammer 60 which is in the form of a small cylindrically shaped permanent magnet located within the tube 32 and which is free to slide from one end there- `of to the other when the holder is shaken, the inertia of the hammer being suflicientto depress the shaft upon striking the button affixed thereto to open the stopper.

,Howeven care must be taken to insure that its weight .is not sutiicient that it is able to depress the button against the spring 56 by its weight alone.

The component parts of the valve unit 30, the container 12 and base member 11 with the exception of disc 36 are all made of non-magnetic materials so that the hammer 60 may be attracted to the disc to be held thereagainst when the container is held in a position other than an inverted position. The magnet selected therefor must be suiciently strong to restrain the hammer from movement longitudinally of the tube when the container is in a non-inverted position, but which is sufficiently weak in magnetic attraction so that it may be broken away from its associated disc when it lies directly therebelow.

In the operation and use of the holder 10 it will be seen that a selected condiment may be obtained from any one of the containers 12, 13 and 14 by inverting any one ofthem and vigorously shaking the entire holder. The hammers in containers 13 and 14 corresponding to the hammer 60- of container 12 will be held against their associated discs during the shaking action which will permit the valve units in each of them to remain closed. The valve units in container 12, since the latter is in an inverted position, will of course be intermittently opened and closed in the manner previously described. It will be seen, therefore, that only the condiment issuing from the inverted container will be dispensed. It will also be seen that the moving parts of each of the valve units is sealed against the entrance of particles of condiment therein and will, therefore, not tend to iam in either a stopper closed or stopper open position.

It is to be observed that although the description heretofore describes the construction and operation of a condiment holder having three condiment containers, any number of condiment containers may be secured on one holder by simply fashioning the base member 11 thereof so that it has any number of planar faces in Which appropriate recesses may be formed to receive the conical cover portions of each container unit. It is again to be observed that handles may be fashioned and secured in any suitable manner to the base member by means of which the appearance of the holder may be enhanced or the operation thereof suited to its locale of use.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A shaker-type condiment dispenser comprising a holder having at least one condiment holding chamber and a dispensing opening in said chamber, a valve at the opening operable between a closed and an open position, resilient means associated with the valve normally urging the latter to its closed position, a hammer slidably mounted on the holder for free reciprocal movement away from and towards the valve as the dispenser is shaken in its inverted position, a valve operating member arranged in the path of the hammer and being adapted when struck by the latter to move the valve, against the action of the resilient means to its open position, and means to restrain the hammer from reciprocal movement when the dispenser is held in other than an inverted position.

2. A condiment dispenser as claimed in claim 1` in which the hammer is located in the chamber and including means to space the hammer from condiment within the chamber.

3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2 in which the lastmentioned means comprises an elongated tubular guide fixed at one end to the base and extending at its other end through the chamber towards the dispensing opening therein, said tubular guide adapted to slidably embrace -the hammer.

4. A shaker-type condiment dispenser comprising a holder having at least one condiment holding chamber and a dispensing opening in said chamber, an elongated shaft extending through the opening for reciprocal movement therein, guide means for maintaining the shaft substantially centrally within the opening, a plug at the outer 4 i end of the shaft adapted, when the shaft is moved inwardly to close the opening, resilient means connected to the shaft normally urging the shaft inwardly of the chamber to thereby close the opening,` a hammer located in the chamber for free reciprocal movement, said hammer being disposed over the end of the shaft and being adapted when the dispenser is shaken to strike `the latter and move the shaft and with it the stopper to the latters open position, I,against the action of the spring, and means to restrain the hammer from reciprocal movement when the dispenser is held in other than an inverted position.

5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 4 in which the hammer is a permanent magnet and including a paramagnetic member connected to the dispenser spaced apart from the shaft on the opposite side of the hammer `to attract the hammer thereto.

6. A shaker-type condiment dispenser comprising a holder having at least one elongated chamber, said chamber having a base at one end and a dispensing opening at the other, an elongated tubular guide secured at one end 1 to the base and extending substantially centrally of and spaced from the chamber walls towards the openingA therein, an internal collar having a bore located at the other end of the guide, an elongated shaft slidably mounted in the bore for reciprocal movement and extending through the opening at one end and into the tubular guide at the other, a stopper connected to the outer end of the shaft adapted when the shaft is moved inwardly to close the opening, a button at the other end of the i shaft, a compression spring located over the shaft between the button and the collar normally urging the shaft inwardly to thereby move the stopper against the opening, a hammer located within the guide for free reciprocal movement,'said hammer being adapted when the disi penser is shaken to strike the button and move the shaft` and stopper outwardly against the action of the spring to thereby move the stopper away from the opening, and magnetic lmeans at the base normally attracting the hammer thereto to maintain the latter against reciprocal movement when the dispenser is shaken in other than an inverted position.

7. A condiment dispenser as claimed in claim 6 com` prising a member having paramagnetic qualities located at the base, said hammer being a permanent magnet` whereby the latter will be attracted to the former.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS i 142,670 9/1873 Bird Z22- 142.3 178,818 6/ 1876 Warner Z22- 142.4 X 1,749,853 3/ 1930 Smith `Z22-142.4 2,427,380 9/ 1947 Benoit Z22-142.1 3,184,119 5/ 1965 Null Z22- 196.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 79,859 1/ 1920 Austria.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SHAKER-TYPR CONDIMENT DISPENSER COMPRISING A HOLDER HAVING AT LEAST ONE CONDIMENT HOLDING CHAMBER AND A DISPENSING OPENING IN SAID CHAMBER, A VALVE AT THE OPENING OPERABLE BETWEEN A CLOSED AND AN OPEN POSITION, RESILIENT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VALVE NORMALLY URGING THE LATTER TO ITS CLOSED POSITION, A HAMMER SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON THE HOLDER FOR FREE RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT AWAY FROM AND TOWARDS THE VALVE AS THE DISPENSER IS SHAKEN IN ITS INVERTED POSITION, A VALVE OPERATING MEMBER ARRANGED IN THE PATH OF THE HAMMER AND BEING ADAPTED WHEN STRUCK BY THE LATTER TO MOVE THE VALVE, AGAINST THE ACTION OF THE RESILIENT MEANS TO ITS OPEN POSITION, AND MEANS TO RESTRAIN THE HAMMER FROM RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT WHEN THE DISPENSER IS HELD IN OTHER THAN AN INVERTED POSITION. 